This copycat Honey Walnut Shrimp Recipe is filled with light and crispy shrimp tossed in a sweet and creamy sauce that’s studded with walnuts.
One of my absolute favorite things to order at any Chinese restaurant is the Honey Walnut Shrimp. The light and crispy shrimp are coated in a creamy white sauce that’s both sweet and savoury.
Now you can make this delicious shrimp recipe at home and it’s seriously SO EASY to make too!
Honey Walnut Shrimp
Not only can you make this recipe at home, but it’s significantly cheaper to make your own, versus paying that extra premium price for shrimp at Panda Express. If you know, you know.
Ingredients Needed
Here’s the basic list of ingredients you’ll need in order to make Honey Walnut Shrimp at home. I’ll even add in some links to products on Amazon for your convenience. As always, you can find the full printable recipe down below.
- Raw Shrimp – Extra Large, peeled and tails removed.
- Egg White – to give the shrimp that light and airy coating
- Corn Starch – makes the shrimp nice and crisp when fried
- White Pepper – a more mild version of black pepper, gives it a savoury taste without adding too much spice.
- Kewpie Mayo – found in the Asian aisle of the grocery store, a sweeter and more rich version of mayo.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk – for that signature sweet flavor.
- Honey – adds the right balance of sweetness
- Sesame Oil
- Walnuts – if you have a nut allergy, you can leave these out.
PRO TIP: You gotta try these squeeze pouches of sweetened condensed milk! It’s great for recipes that only require a little bit so you don’t waste a whole can. You can just refrigerate the leftovers.
How To Make Honey Walnut Shrimp
Let me walk you through the process of making honey walnut shrimp, it’s actually super quick and easy to prepare.
PREPARE SHRIMP
Start by making sure your raw shrimp is peeled, deveined and the tails are removed. *I usually pick up a package of frozen shrimp and run it under cool water to quickly defrost the shrimp. Pat the shrimp dry.
Use a fork or whisk to quickly beat an egg white in a small, clean dish. You’ll want to make sure the egg whites get a little frothy. This will allow the shrimp coating to get light and crispy.
Add in the raw shrimp and stir them around, coating them in the beaten egg whites.
Next, sprinkle in the cornstarch and white pepper. Mix the shrimp around until they’re coated in a nice white slurry and then set it aside.
PREPARE SAUCE
In a separate bowl, mix together the Kewpie Mayo, Sweetened Condensed Milk, Honey and Sesame Oil. Stir until the mixture is a smooth and even color throughout. Set the sauce aside.
FRY SHRIMP
In a heavy bottomed pot, add approximately one inch of vegetable oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat till it’s about 375 degrees F.
Once the oil is hot, carefully add in the shrimp, one at a time to avoid them sticking together. Do not overcrowd the pot while frying. *Depending on the size of your pot, you can probably get about 5-7 shrimp cooked per batch.
The shrimp will curl in slightly and turn a light golden brown when cooked through (should take about 2 to 3 minutes).
Remove fried shrimp with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate and continue frying the remaining shrimp until they’re all cooked.
COMBINE SHRIMP AND WHITE SAUCE
Once the shrimp are all cooked and still hot, pour the prepared white sauce over the top. Use a spoon to toss the shrimp and coat them in the sauce.
Add in the walnuts and you’re ready to serve!
What To Serve with Honey Walnut Shrimp
Honey Walnut Shrimp is a fantastic Asian recipe that will always pair well with a side of steamed rice. To make it look extra fancy, try placing it on top of a leaf of lettuce!
Here are a few more of my favorite Panda Express Copycat Recipes that will go perfectly with this shrimp.
Make Ahead and Storage
It feels like I’ve been making this delicious shrimp on repeat in our house, which begs the question… can you prepare Honey Walnut Shrimp in advance?
The short answer is yes, you can!
Here’s the longer explanation – you can prepare the sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Fry the shrimp (do not add the sauce yet), let cool and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Just before serving, either flash fry (reheat in hot oil) or air fry the shrimp until heated through and crisp. Toss with the prepared sauce and enjoy.
Commonly Asked Questions
The sweet and creamy white sauce on walnut shrimp is made up of kewpie mayo, sweetened condensed milk, honey and a touch of sesame oil.
Kewpie mayo is made using egg yolks, rather than the whole egg. This gives the mayo a more rich flavor. It’s also sweetened with rice vinegar, giving it a distinct sweetness and boost of umami-richness.
Ground white pepper has a more mild flavor compared to the ground black pepper. It’s perfect for adding a touch of savoury without adding an overpowering punch of spice from black pepper.
Yes! You can definitely swap out the walnuts for pecans, or if there is a nut allergy, simple omit the nuts from the recipe entirely.
I can’t wait for you to give this super quick and easy Honey Walnut Shrimp recipe a try. I know you’re going to love it as much as we do!
Honey Walnut Shrimp Recipe
Ingredients
For The Shrimp
- 1 lb raw shrimp, XL, peeled and tails removed
- 1 egg whites, no yolk needed
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- 2 cups vegetable oil, for frying
For The Sauce
- ⅓ cup sweetened condensed milk
- ¼ cup kewpie mayo
- 1 tbsp honey
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- ¼ cup walnuts, halves and pieces
Instructions
- Defrost the shrimp if needed, pat dry with paper towels. Beat the egg white in a medium bowl until it is slightly frothy, then toss in the shrimp and coat with the egg white.
- Add in the cornstarch and white pepper and mix until the shrimp are coated in a thin white batter.
- Heat about 1 inch of vegetable oil in a small, heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the shrimp (one at a time so they don't stick together), in small batches. Cook approximately 2 to 3 minutes, until the shrimp curl in slightly and turn a light golden brown.Use a slotted spoon to remove the shrimp and set aside on a paper towel lined plate. Continue cooking until all the shrimp are fried.
- Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by combining the sweetened condensed milk, kewpie mayo, honey and sesame oil in a small dish.
- Place the fried shrimp in a clean bowl and drizzle with the white sauce, tossing to coat each shrimp. Add in the walnuts and serve. Enjoy!
We really enjoyed this and was easy to make.
My suggestion would be to make the sauce before you start the shrimp. The the cooked shrimp isn’t sitting there getting cold. It was great, the first thing my husband said is “is there peanut butter in this?” I knew there wasn’t but you kind of get a taste of peanut butter.
Where in the world do you find kewpie mayo, besides an Asian market? Unfortunately, there are no Asian markets near me. Is there any way to make it from scratch? Or any substitute of some kind? Thanks in advance!
I found some at Walmart yesterday. Trying this today. Using pecans instead of walnuts.
I used Hellmans/Best Foods mayonnaise, it worked great in the recipe.
I’ve purchased Kewpie at Costco. But I personally can not tell the difference, even side by side they taste the same. Kewpie is slightly more yellow and a bit thinner- great for making stripes on sushi rolls.
People swear by Kewpie- I swear by what’s available and in my budget ♀️
Wonderful, I’m so glad you enjoyed it and used what you had on hand. Love that!
What about the walnuts?